Comments for The Progressing Pilgrim

Comment on Adjusting My Programming As A Masters Intermediate Lifter – Weekly Workout 9/18 by John

John — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 05:17:53 +0000

In reply to Tom S.

Hi Tom,

A 265 bench at 56 years old is pretty impressive. Is that a 1RM? Have you tried increasing intensity rather than volume?

I moved about a year ago and was only able to use a Smith machine for a couple of months and then I dropped my weight to about 164 from 170. Once I started back up with barbells my bench then stalled. But it had also begun to stall before I moved. What I did during the summer was to add in an extra intensity day for bench and OHP. So on week 1, Monday I would do Wendler bench and then on Thursday which is Wendler OHP, I would throw in some intensity bench. 2-3 sets at 2-3 reps, working probably at about a 9 RPE. The following Monday bench day I would add in the same program for OHP. Then the following week on Wendler week 3 for OHP I would add in the bench intensity program. So during the month I would get 2 bench intensity days and 1 OHP intensity day. I did this for about 3 months. I hope that’s not too confusing.

Jim Wendler makes the point that at a certain point its extremely hard to increase bench unless you gain more mass. I only want to gain mass if it’s muscle. So I reevaluated my protein intake and found that for my age it was too low. I upped my protein intake to at least 120 g/d. See my post on protein intake here.After a couple of months my bench increased by about 10 pounds. I’ll take that. My 1RM on bench is slightly more now than it was 2 year ago at 170 bw. So this 2 pronged strategy seemed to help get me unstuck.

BTW all my lifts increased once I did the above. I’ll be 63 this month. My bench max is probably around 190, DL 305, OHP 110, squat (don’t laugh) 200. Considering I started lifting at 57 after a 25 year battle with CFS I’m pleased with my results.

Blessings,

John

Comment on Adjusting My Programming As A Masters Intermediate Lifter – Weekly Workout 9/18 by Tom S

Tom S — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 03:53:46 +0000

John – how is your 5/3/1 going for bench press? Are the additional “light” bench days helping you? I’m 56 and just started on 5/3/1 and I have been plateuaed at 265 bench for a couple years and was thinking about adding a second bench day every week. I had some success with adding a second incline bench day, but noticed that I had to keep reps up high or it would negatively affect my bench day.
-Thanks

Comment on The 10 Most Important Strategies I Used To Beat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Part 2 by Barbara Bianchi

Barbara Bianchi — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 03:12:21 +0000

In reply to Kay. Hi Kay, You’re welcome to contact us privately through the Gluten Free Homestead email link: https://glutenfreehomestead.com/contact-us/

Comment on Your Attitude Toward Aging Might Influence Your Risk Of Alzheimer’s Disease by Kay

Kay — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 18:39:09 +0000

Great article! I volunteer a few hours every other week for a local hospice and some of my patients have AD. I do have confidence in where I will spend eternity however your article is a reminder for me not just to passively trust God but to use the brain He gave me to take care of my body. I hold my breath when stressed. I don’t work now due to CFS so the little bit of hospice “work” I do is helpful for giving me more purpose in life. I often come home feeling like a deflated balloon. Your reminder here is timely for me and I am pretty confident that fear/stress and holding my breath are things I need to work on. Thank you.

Comment on The 10 Most Important Strategies I Used To Beat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Part 2 by Kay

Kay — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 18:22:57 +0000

John, I am wondering if you or Barbara would be willing to contact me directly via my email. I’d like to get your opinion on a few things that I wouldn’t want published on the internet. Please know that I am not at all offended if you are not comfortable doing so. I also have no intention of pestering you long term. I just have a few questions which involve me sharing information. The good news is that I have told other about your awesome site(s) with others since you and your wife are a great source of good information. The bad news is I didn’t choose a very good “fake name”. Your worldview seems to be very similar to my own as does your struggle with CFS. You have a lot of wisdom to share and I thank you for that!

Comment on The 10 Most Important Strategies I Used To Beat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Part 2 by Kay

Kay — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 01:10:01 +0000

Thanks so much for sharing what you have learned. I was first diagnosed with POTS/orthostatic intolerance and my CFS was viewed as more of a side effect. I became ill when expecting my first child 20 years ago. The fatigue component has been by far the most debilitating. I could go on and on about your writing as I am like-minded in many ways. Your post on evolution was excellent. I’ve never understood how intelligent people can disregard math! The number of successful mutations required for macro evolution are astronomical… and for most species would have to occur twice to create both genders. Even breeding a donkey to a horse results in a sterile mule. I digress but wanted to THANK you. I’ve been gluten free for 9 years and I’m 40 percent recovered but just 4 days ago I decided to try a high healthy fat very low carb diet. Finding your site is encouraging me to stay away from my husband’s peanut butter cups!

Comment on How to Recompose Your Dad Bod in Less Than a Year (Even if You’re in Your 50s) by John

John — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 03:36:59 +0000

In reply to Jennet. Hey Jennet, thanks for stopping by. Congrats on losing 25 pounds. I hear you on the not enough protein and too many calories. I faced a similar situation. I’ve since raised my protein intake to 0.8g of protein/lbs of lean body mass and slightly lowered my fat intake. That seems to be working for me since I lost an inch off my waist and maintained weight while increasing strength. I recently wrote a 5 part series about my wife’s and my keto journey. You can see it here.

Comment on How to Recompose Your Dad Bod in Less Than a Year (Even if You’re in Your 50s) by Jennet

Jennet — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 17:28:23 +0000

Thanks for the resources on the keto macros. I’ve lost 25 lbs and stalled on Keto, but after putting my numbers in those links, I wasn’t eating enough protein and too many calories. Excited to see what the next week brings!

Comment on The Dangerous Definition Of Life In Star Trek: The Next Generation by Philip Miller

Philip Miller — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 07:01:18 +0000

I just watched this episode, and I liked your commentary. My biggest problem was that the episode never differentiated between “life” and “intelligent life”. Even in the Star Trek future, not all life is treated equally, they make it very clear that intelligent life takes priority. It would have been a simple fix to refer to them as “intelligent”.

Comment on Why Evolution Shouldn’t Be Used To Support Dietary Theory by John

John — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 22:57:48 +0000

In reply to ed. Hi Ed, thanks for dropping by. I wish you well on your journey. The hard work will really pay off. As Mark Rippetoe (Starting Strength) said, “Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general.”